APPROVED: Edinburgh cabbie keeps licence after pedestrian hit at crossing
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
An Edinburgh cabbie who struck a pedestrian at a signal-controlled crossing, leaving the victim with a fractured foot, has been allowed to continue working after councillors renewed his licence with conditions.
Adel Amrouche appeared before a licensing committee of the Edinburgh City Council on Monday 15 December after Police Scotland flagged a road traffic collision linked to his licence renewal application. The incident took place on St John’s Road in Corstorphine in March 2024 while the driver was working.
A report presented to councillors stated that the pedestrian was crossing with a green man signal when the cab struck him. The vehicle’s wing mirror hit the man’s arm and detached from the cab, causing the pedestrian to fall and sustain a fractured foot along with grazing to his leg.
Police evidence said Mr Amrouche had driven through a red traffic signal at the crossing. Witnesses told officers that the driver initially believed the pedestrian was responsible for the collision.
Council issues written warning and orders refresher training following careless driving conviction
In September, Mr Amrouche pleaded guilty to careless and inconsiderate driving at court and was issued with five penalty points on his personal driving licence. The conviction triggered further scrutiny of his fitness to hold a taxi or private hire licence.
Addressing councillors, solicitor Jonny Nisbet described the collision as an isolated incident in what he said was his client’s twenty-year driving history in Edinburgh. He told the committee the driver’s view of the crossing had been partially obscured by a bus in the adjacent lane, leading to a lapse in judgement.
Mr Nisbet said his client did not deliberately drive through a red light and believed at the time that he could safely clear the junction. He added that Mr Amrouche thought the pedestrian was uninjured after seeing him standing following the impact. The driver stopped at the scene and exchanged details with the victim’s father.
After considering the circumstances, councillors agreed to renew the taxi licence but imposed a written warning to be placed on the driver’s record. The committee also required Mr Amrouche to complete a refresher training course, which is scheduled for January.
